Basically

I am a full time professional photographer based in Shepperton, Middlesex.

But far more interestingly

I am a daddy to Oscar and Lydia who keep me young
I am a husband to Elisabeth who keeps me together and is my ideal soul mate. x
My clients come first in my business
Film-wise I love Casablanca, Now Voyager, Citizen Kane, The Apartment and Manhattan
(I have just realised four of those are love stories. Gosh.)

I love watching my clients’ faces the first time they see their images.
I am addicted to ice cream. Vanilla mainly, but can be adventurous when in the mood.
People keep describing me as “A very nice man”. I think that’s OK, don’t you?
My comedy hero is Eric Morecambe – he lifts my spirit whenever I see him or hear him.
I tweet as @MartinGammon
I want to be able to cook perfect roast potatoes and light, well-risen scones. I am working on it.
I want to be able to speak French. (But I’m not working on that one.)

I enjoying training – I make it a point of going on at least three photography and business related course each year.
I’d like to say my weight fluctuates but really it just stays on.
I’d be lost without Laithwaites wine service.
I browse life style blogs too much – my favourite at the moment is A Chi Chi Affair (www.achichiaffair.blogspot.com)

And most importantly:

My day would be made if you called me right now (01932 253308) and we had a chat about your photography.

Turn off the flash | Family Photography Hints Tips and Advice

Sunday 23 December 2012

Any professional photographer will tell you that if they were designing a camera for family photography, the very last place they would put the flash would be on the camera, right next to the lens.

An image needs light and shade, shadow and highlights to create something pleasing on the eye and this is created by light falling on a subject or scene from several angles and almost never directly behind the camera. If we were to walk around with a bright light on our forehead we would see the world in the same way as a camera flash does.

Compare these two shots, taken at the same time of the same scene. The first one was taken with flash and second one in the natural light.

Let me tell you why I think this is the weaker shot:

The scene is very flat because all the shadow created by the flash is directly behind Elisabeth and so not visible

There is some red eye – this is caused by the flash being reflected directly back from the retina in the eye

The shot has a cold, blue look – that’s the colour of flash

The light has a very harsh quality and is not at all flattering

The fire in the grate shows just one flame and no warmth

The shot has a “frozen moment” look to it

This shot, on the other hand, has benefited enormously from natural light:

Most of the light is coming from the left as we look at it and this has created shadows that add shape, form, detail and subtleties

There is also a window on the right of the picture – notice the lovely light on the back of her hair and the highlight that runs down her neck and shoulder. This kind of light helps to separate the foreground from the background

The shot has a warm, soft colour

The fire looks inviting and roaring – notice how the back wall of the grate is reflecting the rich, warm colour created by the fire

the whole shot looks very natural.

Now it’s your turn:

Turning off the flash on your camera should be easy – most cameras allow you to do this.

Taking shots indoors without flash does take a bit of practice. This is because you need to hold the camera very still to avoid blurring the image. It will be particularly difficult if people are moving a lot – just try to wait until they are still for a moment (not easy with a young boy, I know!)

So, grab your camera and a willing subject. Turn off the flash. Setting your camera to Sport mode, if you have such a thing, might help. Ask your subject to stay still while you practice taking shots. Ask them to look towards the main light in the room, as I did in the shot above. Experiment with different positions and different light. Review each shot on the camera as you take it and learn from what you see.

Does that look better?

Did you enjoy the experience? Would you use this in some of your family photography? Do let me know what you think.

This post is a one in a series on Family Photography hints, tips and advice that I will be posting in the run up to Christmas. Please add a comment here or on my Facebook page if there is any aspect of your photography you’d like some help with.

If you would like an email notifying you when each one is published, just complete this form (you can unsubscribe at any time and I promise to be very, very careful with your information):